{"id":1955,"date":"2026-08-28T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?p=1955"},"modified":"2026-08-27T19:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:05:20","slug":"a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sunlight slides across a kitchen bench of rescued <strong>jarrah<\/strong>, and a kettle sings on a second\u2011hand <strong>stovetop<\/strong>. In a quiet Bunbury street, a small house breathes like something <strong>alive<\/strong>, stitched together from other people\u2019s <strong>leavings<\/strong>. The door opens on a space that feels both <strong>handmade<\/strong> and deeply <strong>intentional<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted a house that felt <strong>earned<\/strong>, not <strong>bought<\/strong>,\u201d says Maya, running a hand along a timber wall polished with linseed <strong>oil<\/strong> and stubborn <strong>patience<\/strong>. Her partner Dan laughs, the sound warm and <strong>unfussy<\/strong>, as he adds, \u201cWe built what we could afford, and now we sleep like <strong>babies<\/strong>, because no bank manager lives in our <strong>heads<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>From skips to shelter<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The project started with a single <strong>rule<\/strong>: use what the city already <strong>offers<\/strong>. They combed demolition <strong>yards<\/strong>, weekend verge <strong>collections<\/strong>, and online marketplaces where \u201cfree if you pick up\u201d reads like a whispered <strong>blessing<\/strong>. Every bent nail became a small <strong>challenge<\/strong>, every warped beam an <strong>invitation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The frame rose from recycled <strong>pine<\/strong>, braced by hardwoods salvaged from old <strong>sheds<\/strong>. Windows arrived in mismatched <strong>pairs<\/strong>, then learned to agree through careful <strong>trimming<\/strong> and tinkering with putty and <strong>patience<\/strong>. \u201cWhen you let materials speak, the house tells you its <strong>shape<\/strong>,\u201d says Dan, not quite joking, not quite <strong>serious<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The budget that broke no backs<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>They kept a running <strong>ledger<\/strong>, scratched in pencil beside the <strong>phone<\/strong>. Materials swallowed the biggest chunk of the <strong>spend<\/strong>, but every dollar carried a story of sweat and <strong>serendipity<\/strong>. Labour costs hovered near zero\u2014paid in tea, biscuits, and neighborly <strong>curiosity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>By the final <strong>tally<\/strong>, the build sat under $30,000 in Australian <strong>dollars<\/strong>, including insulation, wiring, and a tiny off\u2011grid <strong>system<\/strong>. \u201cThe real cost was time and <strong>learning<\/strong>,\u201d Maya notes, \u201cbut the payback is waking up and owing nobody <strong>anything<\/strong>.\u201d The math is simple, the freedom <strong>profound<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Designing with imperfections<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Perfection would have been <strong>expensive<\/strong>, and maybe a little <strong>boring<\/strong>. Uneven floorboards found a quiet <strong>rhythm<\/strong>, softened by rugs rescued from a community <strong>op\u2011shop<\/strong>. Tiles shift their blues like a shallow <strong>reef<\/strong>, making the bathroom feel both weathered and <strong>fresh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cImperfection gives a place <strong>character<\/strong>, and character invites <strong>care<\/strong>,\u201d says Maya, pouring tea into cups that don\u2019t quite <strong>match<\/strong>. The kitchen showcases a patchwork <strong>splashback<\/strong>, each square a different home, now telling the same <strong>story<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Where the parts came from<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Finding the bones of a building taught them the city\u2019s hidden <strong>routes<\/strong>, more map than marketplace or <strong>mall<\/strong>. Some sources felt like treasure <strong>hunts<\/strong>, others like small acts of urban <strong>alchemy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul><\/p>\n<li>Demolition auctions for hardwood beams and window <strong>frames<\/strong>; verge collections for doors and quirky <strong>fixtures<\/strong>; online listings for roofing sheets and leftover <strong>battens<\/strong>; local swaps for taps, sinks, and boxes of dusty <strong>tiles<\/strong>; and a retired builder\u2019s shed for the holy grail\u2014quality screws and a battered framing <strong>square<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Learning as a way of living<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Neither of them started as seasoned <strong>builders<\/strong>, just stubborn <strong>learners<\/strong>. YouTube joined the family like a patient <strong>uncle<\/strong>, while council guidelines became bedtime <strong>reading<\/strong>. When they hit a technical snag\u2014like the trickiness of flashing around salvaged <strong>windows<\/strong>\u2014a retired neighbor materialized with a ladder and a <strong>smile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>They made small <strong>mistakes<\/strong>, fixed them before lunch, and learned to read wood like a living <strong>text<\/strong>. \u201cOur pace was gentle and <strong>steady<\/strong>,\u201d Dan says, \u201cand that saved money and kept spirits <strong>up<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Comfort without the plastic shine<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The house breathes through lime <strong>plaster<\/strong>, and stays cool with shaded eaves and a creeping <strong>grapevine<\/strong>. Soft fans move slow <strong>air<\/strong>, and nights fall with the quiet <strong>sigh<\/strong> of a rural edge. Solar panels sip local <strong>sunlight<\/strong>, powering lights and a modest fridge without fuss or <strong>fanfare<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Inside, warmth comes from a salvaged <strong>potbelly<\/strong> stove, vented carefully and surrounded by a safe <strong>hearth<\/strong>. \u201cWe didn\u2019t chase luxury,\u201d Maya says, \u201cwe chased <strong>comfort<\/strong>, and comfort showed up early and <strong>often<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The economics of not owing<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>No mortgage means no monthly <strong>treadmill<\/strong>, and that changes how days <strong>taste<\/strong>. Dan now takes fewer <strong>gigs<\/strong> and more time fixing bikes for neighbors and <strong>friends<\/strong>. Maya moved from full\u2011time burnout to a happier <strong>balance<\/strong>, teaching kids how to plant beans and compost <strong>recklessly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>With expenses trimmed, small pleasures feel <strong>bigger<\/strong>, and time reads like a deeper <strong>currency<\/strong>. \u201cOur wealth is measured in slow <strong>mornings<\/strong>, not in compound <strong>interest<\/strong>,\u201d Dan says, grinning like someone who found the off switch to an invisible <strong>machine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What others can borrow<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Not everyone has the tools or the <strong>time<\/strong>, and they don\u2019t pretend otherwise or wave a smug <strong>banner<\/strong>. But small moves scale like <strong>seeds<\/strong>: a salvaged shelf, a reclaimed <strong>door<\/strong>, or a weekend spent learning how to patch lime <strong>mortar<\/strong>. Community helps the most, and communities love a good <strong>project<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cStart where you <strong>stand<\/strong>,\u201d Maya advises, \u201cand let your budget set the <strong>rhythm<\/strong>.\u201d She pauses, listening to the stovetop <strong>tick<\/strong>, then adds, \u201cIf you can make even one room from what\u2019s already out <strong>there<\/strong>, you\u2019ll feel the world tilt a little more in your <strong>favor<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The Bunbury breeze slips through a window that someone else <strong>ditched<\/strong>, and it feels better for its second <strong>chance<\/strong>. A kettle cools, the house settles, and the day closes in a place built from what the world had already <strong>given<\/strong>, paid for with care and stubborn, joyful <strong>hands<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"headline\":\"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":897,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Uncategorized\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/\",\"name\":\"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg\",\"width\":1360,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Shop At The Ponds\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\",\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Elliot Wainford\"},\"description\":\"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","og_url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/","og_site_name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre","article_published_time":"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1360,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elliot Wainford","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elliot Wainford","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/"},"author":{"name":"Elliot Wainford","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"headline":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing","datePublished":"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/"},"wordCount":897,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg","articleSection":["Uncategorized"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/","name":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-28T06:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing-1955.jpg","width":1360,"height":768,"caption":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/a-family-from-bunbury-built-their-entire-home-from-salvaged-materials-for-under-30-thousand-and-owe-the-bank-nothing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Shop At The Ponds","item":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A family from Bunbury built their entire home from salvaged materials for under 30 thousand and owe the bank nothing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/","name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755","name":"Elliot Wainford","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","caption":"Elliot Wainford"},"description":"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.","sameAs":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1982,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions\/1982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}